Tipping etiquette and Jamaica.

[captaind]

dont forget the cook...many times we have asked to meet the cook...and while a handshake is given, slip a likkle something in his palm..when you return make sure he knows your back....I will bet you, your food wont be the same...lol or the amount....

Mas Rambo...could be a she......

Miss Izel cooked for us for 11 years....more love from the woman cook I believe

Jamaican man cook good...Jamaican woman cook with love...if she love you that is......

But tip same way!

[SLP]

Here is one, Jackie and I were unsure of when we were down in Jamaica.

We pretty much tipped everyone we would tip here in America. Cab drivers, Bartenders, Food servers, Baggage handlers etc... I usually leave a 20% tip here on a bill in the USA. If the service is great I will leave more. If the service is terrible, I will generally leave 15%.

I understand that many people visit from Europe and Canada, and tipping etiquette may not be the same.

I'm Canadian and our tipping practices are the same as yours. I do vary my tip for the quality of service however.

[Jenn]

Every other year, I am fortunate enough to be able to make a trip to the paradise that is Negril. We work hard and save to go, so when we get there we can enjoy ourselves and not fret about 500J here or there. I tip in the States and I tip in Jamaica. If my tips make someone's (read: cook, bartender, server, gardener etc) day a little better or a little easier...fabulous! After all, I am able to leave my country to visit theirs while many there are working to make ends meet. If you don't want to tip, don't. If you don't want to go to places with service charges, don't. It's your choice. There are LOADS of things I don't like, yet have to pay for, in the States. But pay for it, I do. This just seems like something silly to dispute. It's the way it is in Jamaica. If it bothered me that much, I'd probably go somewhere else. But, that's just me.

[Beebeluv]

Help where you can and stop over analyzing a situation you cant change. Only factor you have control over is that "extra" tip. which isnt an extra tip but pepole are very close minded and dont look at it from the other side of the fence. so... I agree that this is a pointless point to be debating. It was done for the beautiful pepole of Jamaica the place you all love to visit you spend thousands getting there and staying there but a tip is the kicker...lol I'm just a youngin' and I get it. I don't understand the entitlement some pepole feel they have in a DIFFERENT COUNTRY. lol. ahhh to be ignorant must be bliss........BTW Im not directing this at any one person at all nor am I trying to argue with grown adults that should already have learned the FACTs of life by now... SO to sum this up no matter if theres a service charge or not if you like the "face" (the pepole you see) service, tip that person what you can... They will apreciate it ...unless you say something insulting when you give it to them like" you need this more than me" or something horrid like that... One pepole. One love. and everything IS going to be alright so relax man. Just enjoy your vacations... whats the point of worring on a vacation... you might as well have stayed home

[Blake]

Help where you can and stop over analyzing a situation you cant change.

If I was sitting there on vacation I'd agree to stop analyzing it, I analyze most situations to come to the best conclusion I can, it's silly to stop questioning why things are around, otherwise it just leads to a bad outcome.

Only factor you have control over is that "extra" tip. which isnt an extra tip but pepole are very close minded and dont look at it from the other side of the fence.

How am I supposed to look at it from the other side of the fence if we're not allowed to analyze it? Or better yet how are we supposed to look at it from the other side when the other side just says to chill and says it's the way it is.

I agree that this is a pointless point to be debating.

Pointless to you maybe, but to many of us that want to understand why things are the way they are and to actually make things better then it's far from pointless.

It was done for the beautiful pepole of Jamaica the place you all love to visit you spend thousands getting there and staying there but a tip is the kicker

That's a weak argument, there are beautiful people everywhere, that doesn't mean you nickle and dime tourists visiting you after they've already spent thousands getting and staying there.

the entitlement some pepole feel they have in a DIFFERENT COUNTRY.

It's not entitlement to want to know why things are set up the way they are, it's not entitlement to want to know whether the people working there actually get the money from a service charge, and it's definitely not entitlement to want to pay the right amount without overspending.

It IS entitlement to expect tourists to shell out simply because they are spending their money already.

SO to sum this up no matter if theres a service charge or not if you like the "face" (the pepole you see) service, tip that person what you can...

I'll tip based on the service received, and I will factor in a service charge given that it IS double dipping not triple dipping if you're charging me for the food(which includes overhead/salaries)+ a service charge(paying for staff)+a Tip(paying for staff again).

unless you say something insulting when you give it to them like" you need this more than me" or something horrid like that

There is a difference between questioning the status quo and insulting the workers. Believe it or not I have worked and do work in the service industry, that doesn't mean I'm "entitled" to make a certain amount.

whats the point of worring on a vacation... you might as well have stayed home

Who said I worry on a vacation? There is a difference between posting on internet forums and debating the merits of things like service charges, and being ON vacation.

I do as the Romans do while in Rome, that doesn't mean I don't want to know as much as possible about the culture and where MY money IS going and where it IS NOT going.

I learn as much about businesses as I can but I'm not going to sit in a store and start blasting a business owner on how he should operate(unless he's paying me a consulting fee).

[Rob]

Blake,

Since you do want to learn as much as you can about business in Jamaica, there is a good article written by a tax attorney in the Observer and published about a year ago - here is the link:

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/busin...erence_9461924

A couple key points are 1) yes, it is somewhat redundant for a restaurant to charge the service fee when they could have simply raised the menu prices by the same factor and 2) it is NOT a tip, it is a service charge, not a "good service charge". You pay it just the same way as if the item cost that much more.

There is no "double dipping" - the restaurant is liable to pay the same taxes on the service charge as they do on the food costs, as it is simply an addition to the food cost. There are no taxes paid by the restaurant on any tip you would leave, that is a different thing all together - a tip is not "paying the staff" but a personal reward that you give the server for their prompt service.

So your "food equation" should actually read "food + service charge (which includes overhead/salaries and paying the staff) + a Tip (rewarding your server for good service).

[Blake]

There is no "double dipping" - the restaurant is liable to pay the same taxes on the service charge as they do on the food costs, as it is simply an addition to the food cost. There are no taxes paid by the restaurant on any tip you would leave, that is a different thing all together - a tip is not "paying the staff" but a personal reward that you give the server for their prompt service.

So your "food equation" should actually read "food + service charge (which includes overhead/salaries and paying the staff) + a Tip (rewarding your server for good service).

Thanks

Per your article I would argue that they are in fact double dipping.

Thus, a service charge applied at a restaurant is somewhat redundant as the restaurant business is a service industry, just like a law business. Imagine your lawyer sending you a bill for legal fees and then adding a 10 per cent service charge.

My biggest issue is where the service charge actually goes and why it exists, not that it benefits the people of Jamaica.

1. If it goes towards the employees, then logic dictates the food prices would reflect that, yet Jamaican restaurants seem to be on par with US restaurants.

2. If it doesn't go towards the employees(which some employees claim, see one of Rob's first posts) then where does it go?

3. If the food prices don't reflect the employees pay(excluding servers, I'm not debating the merits of gratuity), then what DO they reflect?

This has nothing to do with how poor the country is or the desire for us to support the Jamaican people, enforced capitalism isn't a free market, the restaurants should pay their employees better and price their food accordingly.

I support the people of Jamaica when I visit either directly(gratuity) or indirectly,but this makes me wonder if the restaurants are supporting Jamaicans.

Let me try to make it clear that while I'm opposed to the tipping system(in that it does NOT increase the quality of service), I understand why the tipping system is set up. I can't fathom the service charge as being anything other than a double dip if the food costs are meant to reflect employee pay(excluding servers).

At what point is it excessive? I believe in transparent pricing and not a low ball on the food and then a bunch of extra service charges.

I'd also like to point out that the GCT is applied TO the service charge, which means you're not just paying an extra 10%, you're paying 10% extra+GCT even though the food prices are not lowered to reflect that.

I do believe that they should change the name from service charge to service tax to avoid confusion about whether or not it's considered gratuity.

At the end of the day I'm far from cheap, but I am frugal and like to know where my money is going and why it's being taken the way it is.

[booger]

Again I say it. Itemized on not Itemized. It is no different than anything else in business. For those that are curious as what to do in Negril. It's simple, do as you would at home and all will be IRIE. As stated, the vast majority make next to nothing every week and the extra dough they make on tips is very much appreciated.
Blake, you are passionate about this topic as you continue to seek understanding. Are you aware of the so called Italian price?

[Mattmon]

OKAY, I'll bite! Booger, please elaborate on "Italian Price?"

[Rob]

Another thing to consider about the service charge when it is shared among the employees is that in a tourism economy like Negril, when things are busy, the employees earn more money. Rather than just receiving their hourly rate, they get a bonus based on the service charge. So when the business makes more money, each employee would make more money as well.

This is an easy and fair way for more people to directly benefit from the tourism in Jamaica.